David Roberts was the Martin Sorrell of architecture: like the WPP ad mogul, Roberts was always at another early-morning meeting on another continent when you turned your back. Now the passionate Welshman (via the British West Midlands and Tasmania) and Stanley resident has stepped down as chief executive of Aedas, the Hong Kong and British-owned architecture practice.
"David worked hard for 24 years to build Aedas from a small company to its current global reach and stature," said Keith Griffiths, Aedas's chairman. Roberts, a stalwart of the Hong Kong Club, who is 50 this year, recently overcame a battle with cancer. He will remain an adviser to the board at Aedas, which is behind the new West Kowloon terminus, and is succeeded by David Bromberg, the practice's star designer. Roberts's second home and yacht charter business (as well as an Italian restaurant and deli) in Phuket will ensure his frequent flyer status.
Cable TV Hong Kong has come under fire with respect to its contract arrangements. A reader tells us he had a contract for which he paid HK$350 a month. This expired in March while he was away on holiday. He was unaware of this until he received a further bill for HK$700. After speaking to Cable TV it transpired it had started a new "contract'" without consulting our reader and, because he hadn't negotiated a "special price", had set the rate at HK$700.
Irritated by the company's high-handed practices, our reader said he wanted to terminate the service. However, to do this, Cable TV said, he would have to give a month's notice and pay a further HK$700, even though our reader had not entered into a contract. After discussed the matter with Cable TV, the company swiftly got back to our reader, offered a fulsome apology, and has undertaken to refund the whole of the overcharged amount by the end of the month. The company offered another contract at the old rate of HK$350. This was, you may be unsurprised to hear, declined by our reader, as he said he had lost confidence in the company on account of its "sharp practices".
